Earth Institute Donor Report

2011 Earth Institute Donor Report

The Earth Institute, Columbia University
A Growing Cohort of Sustainability
Management Professionals
Left: The sun setting over the
New York City skyline during
a blackout.
Right, top: Dr. Steve Cohen
addresses his M.S. in
Sustainability class.
AP Images
Bottom, right: M.S. in Sustainability
graduates Chak Cherdsatirkul and
Shinsuke Nuriya.

Only decades ago, environmental concerns were peripheral
to business, a few bumps in the road toward the central
concern of making product and profit. That landscape has
changed. “Going forward,” says Steven Cohen, executive
director of the Earth Institute, “every effective manager has to
be a sustainability manager.”
With its new jointly-offered Master of Science in Sustainability
Management, the Earth Institute and Columbia University’s
School of Continuing Education are on their way to becoming
leaders of this trend. “We’re getting students from all over the
world,” says Cohen. “There’s nothing [else] quite like it.”
Chak Cherdsatirkul, one of the program’s first graduates,
wasn’t thinking much beyond learning Chinese and getting a
job when he graduated from college with a degree in economics.
Once he started working as a consultant in Thailand, however,
sustainability came to the forefront. “I was helping a company
do a study on how to use municipal solid waste to replace
coal,” says Chak. “Energy has such an impact. It’s there in
every person’s life.” As Chak worked in a variety of jobs, his
enthusiasm for small renewable energy projects grew.
“I wanted to develop a solar farm,” Chak says, “but I realized
I didn’t have enough knowledge. I don’t have an engineering
background.” To pursue his goal, Chak decided to enroll in
Columbia’s master’s program in sustainability management.
The master’s program appeals especially to professionals like
Chak. Part time or full time, the program integrates five subject areas: public policy, economics, the physical dimensions
of sustainability management, general and financial management, and integrative sustainability courses. Students from
across different business sectors join a unique, interdisciplinary
community, enabling them to apply sustainability management to any organization.
The diverse resources of New York City contribute to the program’s richness, as well. Professionals working in the field
often teach, and students culminate their studies with a New
York City “capstone” project. Working with a local nonprofit,
students create a real-world sustainable solution to a real-life
problem in their local community.
“The program is so flexible,” says Chak. “I’ve studied energy business and finance, sustainability architecture and